Which goaltenders could the Lightning pursue to replace Andrei Vasilevskiy?

Andrei Vasilevsky knocked on the table loudly.

It was roughly one year ago during the NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas when the big Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender did it, hoping the table was made of wood. He was speaking to a group of us, waxing poetic about the importance of health and how he felt it was a skill that an athlete needs to cultivate.

He’d earned the right to say as much. He had just completed a run in which he led the NHL in victories five seasons in a row and played to the end of the Stanley Cup Final three times in a row, winning it twice.

Flash forward a year later, though, and the injury bug finally bit ‘Vasy’ – hard. Theoretically, he was going to open the 2023-24 season as rested as he’d been in years; the Lightning were eliminated in Round 1 of the playoffs for the first time since 2019 this past spring and thus would have more time to heal up and strengthen their bodies. But it was not to be for No. 88: the Lightning revealed Thursday that Vasilevskiy will miss at least 8-10 weeks after undergoing a successful microdiscectomy to address a herniated disc.

The implications of Vasilevskiy’s absence, with should cover at least two months of the regular season, are massive. Firstly: the Lightning showed signs of slipping with their core aging last season, as their .598 points percentage was their lowest since 2016-17. They only cleared the playoff bar by six points. Secondly: the Atlantic Division power balance was already shifting heading into the season. The Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings are determined to break through as playoff seeds. An injury like Vasilevskiy’s threatens to hold Tampa back early in the season and provide an opening for one of those upstarts to ascend.

As currently constructed, the Bolts don’t look like a team that can stand pat in goal. Even as a backup to Vasilevskiy, offseason signee Jonas Johansson was a shaky choice, holding an .886 career save percentage in 35 games. It’s tough to imagine Tampa entrusting him as its No. 1 goalie for at least a quarter of the season. Same goes for Hugo Alnefelt, a decent prospect who has yet to establish himself as a dominant player even at the AHL level.

It stands to reason GM Julien BriseBois will get to work soon on patching the gaping hole in his roster. Or will he? As Lightning beat writer Erik Erlendsson reported in this thread on Thursday, the Lightning plan to see what they have with Johansson, Alnefelt and Matt Tomkins for the balance of the pre-season. While they can place Vasilevskiy on LTIR, they’ll still need to be cap compliant when he returns, so it’s unlikely they pursue a trade, Erlendsson reports.

Color me just a tiny bit skeptical. We’ll see how BriseBois feels if none of his puck-stoppers looks better than replacement level two weeks from now. While it’s certainly unlikely Tampa pursues a pricey puck-stopper, it’s not inconceivable that they explore a cost-efficient stopgap. BriseBois is a wizard when it comes to finding salary-cap escape hatches.

What might the Bolts’ options be if they decide they can’t survive the next two months with their current healthy goaltenders?

The waivers route

Spencer Martin

It just so happens the Vancouver Canucks waived Martin Thursday afternoon. The Lightning currently hold the No. 20 waiver priority. They could take a shot at Martin. He did his duty on a floundering Canucks team last season, starting 27 games. He didn’t have a lot of defensive help but struggled nonetheless, posting an .871 SV percentage. Would Martin actually be an upgrade over what Tampa already has? It’s debatable.

The trade route

Eric Comrie

With each passing day, it feels more likely that super-prospect Devon Levi wins the Buffalo Sabres starting job out of training camp and begins a potential Calder Trophy quest. The Sabres have three viable NHL goaltenders: Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Comrie, who happens to be on the final season of his deal. Comrie isn’t the most consistent goaltender but is capable of playing well for extended stretches. He’s just two seasons removed from delivering a .920 SV% in 19 games with the Winnipeg Jets. His $1.8 million cap hit is a bit rich, but the Sabres, who don’t hurt for cap space, could easily eat 50 percent of it.

Dan Vladar

Vladar would obviously be the luxury option. The Flames have a logjam in net between him, starter Jacob Markstrom and elite prospect Dustin Wolf, who has been named the AHL’s top goalie two years running and won the MVP last season. Wolf could not have less left to prove at the AHL level. The Flames could open up a deserved spot for him by moving Vladar. Not only could he fill in adequately for Vasilevskiy but, as one of the better backups in the league, he’d give the Bolts insurance for the rest of the season and the next one. Vladar is signed through 2024-25. The problem: he carries a $2.2 million AAV. The Flames have no cap space and wouldn’t want to retain any money. Tampa would need to secure a money-in, money-out trade to make this happen.

The free-agent route

Brian Elliott

He never officially retired, right? Having already backed up Vasilevskiy the past two seasons, Elliott could slide in seamlessly. That matters, too; goalies take time to develop rapports with the defensemen playing in front of them. The downside: Elliott is 38 and noticeably declined last season. His -0.26 goals saved above average per 60 at 5-on-5 placed him 55^th among 77 goalies who played at least 500 minutes last season. Then again: Martin was 76^th and Comrie was 70^th.

Jaroslav Halak

Unless Mike Smith goes full Undertaker at 41 and returns after a year off, Halak is the most experienced goaltender currently available in free agency. He has posted a save percentage below .900 just once in his 17 seasons, during which he’s piled up 295 wins. It’s unlikely the moment would be too big for a battle-tested keeper like him.